You, Me, Her, and It
by lilacblossom
Summary: A pregnant, bubbly blonde with dreams and ambitions, a cold-hearted jounin hoping to be clan head, a feminist weapon's mistress with slight family issues, and a green beast who's driving himself insane to keep the balance. "Where exactly does a baby fit into all this?"
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Hey, everyone. This is a repost. I deleted the original story because of how much hate it got. But I found it on my laptop and I really like it. It was my first story and I find it hilarious. Sorry, you guys won't bully me into deleting my stories again**

**Don't like, don't read, and definitely don't review. ~ LilacBlossom**

**For this story, disregard the Pein Arc and everything after that. Let's just say things have been peaceful for a more extended period of time. Thank you!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of its characters. Even the plot to this story is pretty overused and not original.**

**xXxXxXxXx**

Among the buzzing streets of Konoha, Ino Yamanaka slowly trekked towards her best friend's apartment. The slender, 18 year old blonde had a downcast look about her but still tried hopelessly to keep her lips slightly curved into a less than half-hearted smile.

'_Stupid, stupid, stupid….how could this be happening to me?' _ The blonde halted in her step for a few seconds before looking up towards her friend's apartment. "Well, I guess it's now or never" Ino confidently whispered to herself.

**You, Me, Her, and It **

**Chapter One: Stop Lying, Ino-Pig!**

**xXxXxXxXx**

Sakura never got days off from the hospital, ever. So when she heard someone knocking on her front door, quietly at first before turning into an obnoxious booming, she was livid. The pinkette rose from her sofa, confused at first as to why she was laying there but then remembering she hadn't made it to her bed last night. With a load groan, Sakura swung her door open and then…

"WHAT THE HELL DO Y-" the pinkette blinked twice in confusion before suddenly resuming her angry outburst. "WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE!? This is your shift right now, isn't it? Actually, I know it is! So why are you-"

Ino sheepishly grinned at her friend, trying hard to keep a happy façade, "Yes, yes, it is but-"

"-here? If you're here to ask me to cover your shift, just-"

"I'm actually here beca-"

"go away now!" Sakura fumed for about thirty more seconds before resigning to an overbearing glare. "Well, what is it?"

Ino opened her mouth to speak but then shut it immediately and gave her friend an incredulous look. "So you're just not going to invite me in?" Ino stared at her superior for another thirty seconds or so before smiling as Sakura turned her back to walk away, leaving her front door open. _'Okay, Ino. This is it!'_

Ino took approximately three steps forward before closing the door behind her then four more steps into Sakura's sitting room before calling out to the girl in the small kitchen.

"Sakura, I'm pregnant." _Clack, ting, boom, "ack!"_ was heard from inside the kitchen before Sakura rushed out with a disbelieving look on her face.

"Um," an unidentified emotion passed across Sakura's profile before the green-eyed girl began clutching her stomach and…laughing? "Ino-Pig, you're a _virgin,_" a look of disdain creeped onto Ino's face at the amazing emphasis put on the word 'virgin', "I know because you would have rushed to tell me about it if you did lie on your back for someone!" An even deeper look of disdain appeared on Ino's face at her _best_ _friend's _choice of words.

Ino quickly shook her head to clear her thoughts of wanting to argue with the rude girl, who, by the way, was now leaning against the kitchen doorframe to support herself as her bout of laughter continued.

"Sakura, stop." Sakura briefly made eye contact with the girl before pressing her hand against her lips to stifle her giggles, though Ino believed she purposely wasn't trying very hard to give her the respect she was obviously requesting. "If you don't believe me, check it out yourself. Maybe I was wrong, even though a traditional pregnancy test also confirmed my self-examination."

Sakura incoherently mumbled something about pee sticks and her stove being on before bringing her hands to Ino's abdomen and concentrating her chakra. "You worry too mu-" A gasp escaped Sakura's lips as she slowly lowered her hands and gaped at her blonde friend. "Ino…you're pregnant."

Ino brought her clenched fist up in front of her as she slightly raised her voice, "Okay, Sakura, now that you've so kindly decided to listen up, do you think maybe you can offer me some friendly support?" Ino's voice cracked towards the end of her question, her big blue eyes leaving Sakura's face to stare at floor. _'Wow, does Sakura even sweep around here?'_

The blonde's attempt at distracting her own mind was interrupted as her friend perked up, "You already know I'm here for you!" a small smile graced Sakura's lips. "Wow, a baby huh?" that small smile dropped in favor of a more pensive look. "So, who's the father?"

**Elsewhere…**

Rock Lee flew through the air before slamming face first into an inconveniently placed training post. "Neji, my rival! I am so ashamed of my quick defeat that I did not even bother to catch my fall! It was my punishment for allowing the beautiful Tenten to distract me from our battle with her feminine woes!" the young man proclaimed.

"Uh…Lee, all I did was walk over to pick up my pack," the chocolate haired, 19 year old girl calmly mentioned to her teammate, "So unless you were staring at my ass when I bent over, I don't see how-"

"That's enough!" the third member of Team Gai suddenly interjected, his pale eyes shut in obvious annoyance, "I don't care what caused your distraction, just don't speak of my girlfriend's feminine woes in front of me." The male finally opened his eyes, revealing a menacing glare.

Lee suddenly turned his back to his teammates as he stood stiffly with what suspiciously looked like tears in his eyes. "Forgive me! It is my own fault I am like this. I must respect my teammates' relationship which is way I must tell you!"

The boy quickly jerked his body around to reveal his deepest darkest secret, only to see the retreating forms of his teammates a good thirty feet away. "….I must tell you…." Rock Lee's voice was lost among the inconvenient breeze that blew past.

Konoha's self-proclaimed weapons mistress cocked her head towards her boyfriend to see his face still held agitation. Tenten then blushed and giggled to herself, _'He's so cute when he gets into his little moods.' _The girl quietly snuck another look at him before her face flushed once again. _'I wonder where he's taking me…or am I taking him somewhere? Damn it, I can't figure out which one of us is leading this walk!'_

Neji, ever the observant Byakugan user, noticed Tenten's body language shift into a more submissive behavior pattern. This made him stop his stride and turned towards his girlfriend. "Are you waiting for me to walk you home?" he then asked.

Tenten's face immediately changed to one of slight confusion, "What? Um, no. I don't want to go home," a brief pause, "Besides, I'm too independent for that! I don't need you to walk me home," another brief pause and then a cough that sounded noticeably forced, "But I would like you to walk me to _your_ home." The girl finally finished up.

The Hyuuga immediately caught on to the many other messages present in her words. _"Are you trying to get rid of me?" "I obviously don't want to go home, Neji!" "Do you want to spend some private time with me?" _The prodigy stared at the humble girl before tilting his head to the left and smirking at her.

"Why can't we ever go to your house, Tenten?" Her teammate was teasing her because he obviously already knew the answer; she still lived with her overbearing and hovering father.

"Because, my dear Neji, don't you think it's a little more…._fun_ at the Hyuuga compound? The walls literally have eyes so things are a lot more _exciting _than they ever could be at my house." Tenten decided to entertain his playful banter and even used a few hand motions for dramatic effect.

Neji's face immediately returned to its emotionless expression as he plainly declared, "I'm busy today….and tonight," the latter part of his statement having been added as an afterthought.

"Neji, really?" Tenten's eyebrow twitched, "I'm trying to actually be romantic here."

The girl's eyes slightly dulled when she received no reply. However, she then immediately picked back up her cheerful face, not wanting to be subjected to his creepily accurate body readings.

"Well, okay then. It's only noon and since I really didn't do much at our morning training I'm going to head back over there. You know where to find me." With one last smile, Tenten was on her way.

Neji waited a few moments before taking his leave and heading into town, his destination being a certain flower shop. _'What could Yamanaka possibly want? I can't believe she actually left a message for me with the Hyuuga guards. This has gone too far, which is ridiculous seeing how I severed any possible connections with her.'_

A long sigh escaped the Hyuuga's lips as he let his thoughts drift to his on-off girlfriend of two years. True, he was very happy with Tenten, that is when they are actually on good terms. Her desire to be a 'strong-willed independent woman' and his perpetually cold personality didn't make for a very good combination. And on top of all this, sometimes she got…boring. Neji mentally scolded himself for his thoughts. _'I'm still trying to find a way to blame her for my actions,'_ he realized as he continued his walk at a much faster pace.

**Back with our heroine**

Sakura sipped her heavily caffeinated tea as she stared at the blonde sprawled across her sofa. Sakura herself was sitting in her favorite arm chair close to said sofa, giving the whole situation a therapist type feel.

Forehead girl cleared her throat, "Okay, Ino. Let's start from the beginning. Tell me _everything._"

**10 Months Ago**

December 27th. It was a cold winter's night in Konohagakure. It was also Hinata Hyuuga's 17th birthday. Hinata had always been the youngest out of the group of friends. So within a couple months, some of her peers will turn 18, and even 19 in the case of Team Guy, while she is still unfortunately, 17.

Kiba Inuzuka swung his arm around his comrade's shoulder, "Oi, Hinata, why are you looking so down? You're supposed to be the life of this party! I know, how bout I fill in for you then, eh?" Kiba then promptly broke out into a loud rendition of 'Who Let the Dogs Out' while the goofier members of the Konoha 11 provided the adequate barking to go along.

"K-Kiba-kun! Please! The rest of the compound can hear you!" Hinata pleaded with her friend. Whose big idea was it to have this shindig in the home of Konoha's stiffest clan anyway? "Kiba-kun!"

Hinata reached out to grab her friend's shoulder right as Naruto decided dog piling him would make the song much more dramatic, effectively crashing into Hinata who in turn crashed into the bowl of punch on the table.

Time had stopped as everyone in the room gazed at the scene, half-expecting the girl to break out in hysterics and need the rest of the night to calm down. However, Hinata simply stood up, hair soaked with red punch (and whatever else it had been spiked with, not that Kiba would let her in on that little detail), and walked out of the room.

A few more moments passed before Ino walked to follow her friend to her room. '_Poor Hinata, this would happen on her birthday. If I can just get her looking presentable again, maybe the night can be saved,' _the blonde thought to herself as she called out to the pale-eyed beauty to wait for her.

Ino sat leaning against Hinata's bedroom wall, waiting for the girl to shower and change clothes before she fixed her hair up. Lost in thought about how the punch had a bitter taste anyway, Ino hadn't noticed Hinata's cousin, Neji, step into the room.

The young man cleared his throat to get the blonde's attention, "I've come to take care of Hinata-sama," the Hyuuga began, "you may go ahead and rejoin the rest of the guests. They are in the courtyard watching Naruto and the Inuzuka play a crude game of rock-paper-scissors, in which the loser must suffer a punch from Haruno-san."

Ino couldn't help but giggle evilly at his last statement, "Serves them right, the idiots. But um, I think I'd rather wait for Hinata," the girl concluded.

Neji let out a low grunt as he sat on the floor next to Yamanaka. '_Girls can be so stubborn. No wonder Nara constantly calls her troublesome, it isn't a term of endearment.' _The boy's thoughts continued to wander, '_Why couldn't it have been Tenten who followed her? Maybe then this wait wouldn't have been so bad.' _Neji smirked to himself at the thought of his girlfriend of little over a year. They had gone through a rough patch recently, something about he hurt her pride by catching her bridal style on a mission when she would rather have slammed into the ground like a 'true shinobi' or some crap. However, after some _making up_, their relationship was now as passionate as it was in the first few months.

Seeing the somewhat perverted look on Neji's face, Ino decided to have some fun with the boy to pass time. "Just what are you thinking about over there, hm, mister?" Neji turned to face Ino as she continued, "Do you always get this turned on sitting outside your cousin's bathroom while she showers?" Neji's eyes darkened, "Or is it…me?" the Hyuuga's eyes widened for a fraction of a second before narrowing.

"Yamanaka-san, is this some pathetic way of hitting on me?" it was Ino's turn to narrow her eyes, "You of all people should know I love my current partner, seeing as you're constantly concerned with the lives of others more than your own." Ino blushed to herself as she wondered if Tenten had told the boy about her constant prying into the couple's sex life, "But in case you truly do not know, then I have no problem telling you", Neji leaned slightly closer as he finished off his statement, "I have no interest in you or any other female on this planet besides Tenten".

Ino faced forward with her arms crossed, eyes shut and forehead wrinkled, '_Man, can't this guy take a joke? Who cares about Tenten anyway? If I had gotten to him first, I bet there would be no Tenten.'_ Ino's eyes snapped open with a mischievous glint in them as she turned her head to face the jounin once again, "Is that a challenge maybe?"

Don't get her wrong, Tenten was a friend of hers, albeit not as close as Sakura…or Hinata…or that chick she ate lunch with on her breaks…or even the girl who regularly came into the flower shop to gossip with the blonde…but a friend nonetheless. So Ino couldn't help but feel a little bad the moment the words left her mouth.

Neji, on the other hand, was completely shocked but managed to control his composure as he answered his younger peer's question, "If you like to take on impossible challenges, then take my words as you must."

Ino's eyes immediately widened but before she could continue the conversation, which felt like borderline sexual harassment, the door to the bathroom slid open as the other Hyuuga stepped out wearing a bath robe.

Hinata's eyes looked down to meet both of the shinobi on the floor before she quickly averted her gaze and blushed, "Ano…did I keep both of you waiting long?" The girl's eyes came back to them with a slightly fearful look in them.

The blonde jumped up and spoke as she opened up the bureau, "Of course not, Hinata, but let's focus on finding you something cute to wear, okay?"

At the mention of cute clothes, Neji also stood up then bowed before excusing himself. Yamanaka had everything under control here.

**Present Day**

"No offense, Ino, but what the hell does that have to do with you being pregnant now?" Doctor Sakura, psychologist extraordinaire, looked at her 'patient' through half-lidded eyes.

Said patient then sprung up from her relaxed position before verbally attacking her best friend, "Well you're the one who asked to hear _everything_ so I decided I should tell you about the conversation that started it all!" Ino huffed then laid back down on her back with her head on the armrest of the sofa, "Now, do you want to hear the rest, or do you want me to just skip to the part where we had sex a month and a half ago?"

Sakura looked up at the pink clock on her wall and sighed, "Well I have all day, don't I?" the pinkette picked up her teacup and took a sip, "Go ahead."

**8 Months Ago**

It had been two months since the initial conversation between Neji and Ino. It was now mid-February in Konoha and it also happened to be Valentine's Day. Love was in the air as every couple in the village spent their day in the company of their….

_ACHOO! _

Tenten blew her nose on what could've been the three-hundredth tissue she used that day. Eyes watering from the irritation, the chuunin had caught a cold from one of her clients about three days ago. The man had sneezed in her face after she delivered him medicine he requested from some shop on the outskirts of town, since apparently, Konoha's medical facilities aren't good enough for him.

"That's the last time I do a mission like that! A genin team could have easily taken that job," the girl complained to her boyfriend before blowing her nose once again, wondering why the desk even assigned her that pathetic excuse for a C-rank mission.

Ever the cleanly adult he is, Neji discreetly scooted a little farther along the bed from Tenten. "Are you sure you don't want me to bring you some soup? I can find a way to make it…romantic," Neji hesitantly looked towards the girl, observing as she rolled her eyes then feverishly shook her head and started babbling about him needing to go.

"You shouldn't even be here. You know how my dad gets," the brunette girl scoffed, "I bet he's on his way here now with some dumb tramp he picked up at a sleazy bar."

Neji chose to remain silent while the kunoichi expressed her displeasure. _Fathers _was never a topic he enjoyed getting into. Tenten complained about hers to no end, understandably, but Neji didn't have a mother nor a father to complain about.

After some silence, Neji promptly stood from his position on the bed, gave Tenten a quick kiss on the forehead and took his leave. _'Well, I can't really say I'm disappointed. This holiday is ridiculous anyway.'_

**Sakura's Apartment**

Ino sat in her best friend's bed, watching the girl iron her clothes and become increasingly frustrated.

"Why won't this damn thing stay hot!" Sakura gave the item in her hand a death glare before leaving to place it back on the stove. It was three o'clock on a Saturday afternoon and Ino was watching her friend get ready for a date.

Ino suddenly jumped up to follow the pinkette into the kitchen.

"Sakura," Ino began, the pleading look in her eye already noticeable, "You don't have to go. I'm sure Lee will understand. I mean, it's not even a _date_ date, right?"

Sakura looked at her friend, then the pink clock on her wall, then back at her friend and sighed. "Why do you always make me feel bad? It's not my fault you don't have a date!" Sakura then put a smug look on her face as she leaned forward with her hands on her hips, "Poor little Ino couldn't get a date now she wants to ruin mine. Not gonna happen!"

Ino looked on as the medic-nin broke out into an obnoxious laugh of self-victory. Yes, her and Sakura weren't nearly as competitive anymore, but sometimes the former rivals-in-love still enjoyed tearing each other down.

The blonde decided to jab right back at her friend, "Don't be so proud, forehead. You practically cheated this year because you said yes to the guy who's had a crush on you for years! Not much of an accomplishment." Ino smirked as Sakura's eyebrow twitched.

Sakura hurriedly grabbed her iron off the stove, briefly contemplating throwing it at the blue-eyed broad in front of her, and stomped back to her room, slamming the door shut behind her.

"I love you too, Sakura!"

Laughing to herself, Ino stole an apple off of the table and left the apartment. What should she do now? Go keep her dad company? No, he's probably harboring Shikaku like a fugitive to wait out the storm that was Yoshino on Valentine's Day.

'_Speaking of those two, I wonder where their bum of a son is,' _the thought immediately cleared itself up as Ino remembered Shikamaru would be keeping Chouji company as he did every year. She decided not to invite herself to their man date. _'If Temari was in town, then I could be the one keeping Chouji company since I have NOTHING else to do!'_

Groaning in frustration, Ino quickly ran through all of her friends in her head before finally figuring out a plan.

"I can go help Hinata get ready for her date with Naruto!" the blonde proclaimed to absolutely no one before heading in the direction of the Hyuuga compound. That's right, Hinata had finally bagged the famous jinchuriki. After the incident at her birthday party, Naruto decided to make it up to the girl and the two ended up becoming inseparable.

Thinking of Hinata's luck in romance caused Ino to neglect her surroundings just long enough for a giant cart to head straight for her. By the time she looked up after hearing someone shout a warning, she had already been pulled out of the way by someone else.

"Th-Thank you, I have no idea wh-" the girl suddenly stopped as she looked up at her savior. It was Hyuuga Neji.

His cold eyes bore into hers, "Hn," was all he said as he continued on his way. Two minutes later, with the blonde still behind him, he turned to look at her, "Are you following me, Yamanaka-san?"

"Oh, I don't know, _Hyuuga_-san," Ino made sure to put extra emphasis on his surname, why was he so formal with her anyway? "Do pretty girls follow you all the time?"

Neji didn't look the least bit perturbed by her statement and instead smirked, "Yamanaka, it's been what, about six or seven weeks since we last spoke? And you are _still_ horrible at flirting."

The girl looked away from him and continued to walk forward. After about five steps, she glanced back at him, "Who says I'm flirting? You wouldn't know flirting even if I read pick-up lines to you straight out of Icha Icha." Ino knew she shouldn't continue baiting the boy, but he made it so damn easy.

Neji caught back up with the still walking girl and was silent for a moment, _'I guess it wouldn't hurt to engage in conversation with her until I reach the compound. I wonder where she's heading anyway.' _After another silent minute or two, Neji decided to continue their rather inappropriate conversation.

"It's sad that you know you need Icha Icha to have any hope of properly hitting on me," he gave her another blunt smirk upon seeing her face, "Why are you looking at me like that, Yamanaka?"

"Because that's not what I said," Ino crossed her arms and tried her hardest to look stern, though on the inside she was secretly happy that he dropped the –san from her name, "I'm perfectly capable of flirting, but you, on the other hand, don't know a thing about it." Unbeknownst to Ino, she had just provoked a conversation that would change everything between them.

"You know, Yamanaka, your eyes are probably the most beautiful shade of blue I've ever seen."

Ino snorted, "Corny."

"Your eyelashes really accentuate them well."

"Um…no," Did he just compliment her…eyelashes?

"Remember that time in the Forest of Death during our first Chuunin Exam and yo-"

Ino suddenly halted and turned bright red, "Are you really going to go there?" she still remembers that moment clear as day, he was the first boy to ever resist her advances, "I was like 12, okay?" The blonde found herself getting redder as he turned his gaze to her.

"I was going to say that I actually did find you attractive that day," Neji bluntly told her before continuing down the road.

As Ino watched him walk away, her face was still red. However, it was no longer red out of embarrassment, but because of the timid blush he had left on her face. With a smile, she caught back up with him, _'I wonder if he really thought that.'_

Contrary to popular belief, Yamanaka Ino did not have every boy in the village eating out of the palm of her hand. She had some admirers, but none she actually took seriously. So now, hearing the shinobi onside of her say such things about her, it made Ino feel….good. She wanted more of it.

"Okay, Hyuuga. I'll give you some credit. However, that's still beginners' work," Ino hoped that he would continue to entertain her, "I hope Tenten didn't fall for such cheap lines."

After taking a second to think, Neji decided there was no harm in continuing their still inappropriate conversation.

"Your body has changed a lot since then. You are curvier than most girls in the village."

A small giggle was the only response he got from that line.

"Yamanaka, you work with flowers, correct?" a small nod prompted him to continue, "I'm sure no flower I have ever seen can compare to your beauty." Neji held his head a little higher, impressed by his own ability to spew sweet nothings.

The pair stopped a few feet away from the entrance to the Hyuuga Compound. When Neji noticed she also made a move towards the entrance, he spared her a confused look.

"Have I really won you over so easily that now you wish to follow me home?" Neji couldn't help but smirk when the girl noticeably struggled to fight down a blush.

Ino regained her composure and began to explain herself, "I'm actually here to see your cousin off for her date," after a moment Ino turned to him inquisitively, "Why aren't you with Tenten anyway?"

Neji turned and began leading them both into his home. After clearing earshot of the nosey branch members on guard duty, he spoke to her, "She is ill. Valentine's Day isn't a big deal anyway. Even if she wasn't sick, I would've expected her to insist on training instead of going on a date."

"Not the romantic type?" Ino inquired.

"Neither of us are."

The two walked in silence for a while longer before Neji began to change his direction towards the branch residence. He was stopped, however, by a familiar loud voice.

"Yo, Neji! Where ya going, 'ttebayo?" Uzumaki Naruto appeared from the other side of a sliding door with a blushing Hinata behind him. Hinata was quietly saying something about waking other clan members from their early evening nap.

Neji carefully walked towards the noisy blond, his cousin, and the other blonde who…

"Ino-chan! Hey, what are you doing here?" Naruto looked at the girl in front of him with genuine curiosity, "Did you come here to take a nap? A lot of people do that I think".

As if on cue, a middle aged Hyuuga grumpily opened one of the doors and turned to walk to another area of the living space. He briefly stopped in front Hinata and bowed "Hinata-_sama,_" causing the young heiress to flinch. His emphasis on her suffix clearing saying _'You are the future clan head, control your guests.'_

The foursome awkwardly looked at the retreating man before making an unspoken agreement to leave the compound.

"Geez, what was that guy's problem?" Naruto questioned with his arms folded behind his head as the group walked down the street.

Said group each gave him an answer using only their eyes, _'Gee, I don't know?' 'Naruto-kun, please don't worry about it,' 'I could've gotten my seal activated if you were my guest, you dumbass.'_

Choosing to end the silent conversation there, Naruto took Hinata's hand and looked at the other two, "Well guys, we have reservations at that real fancy restaurant on the other side of town, so we really gotta go."The blond waved as him and his date (girlfriend?) began to walk away, "See ya!"

A half-awkward, half-annoyed silence passed over Ino and Neji before Neji finally decided to break it.

"Well, Yamanaka, what will you do now?"

Ino looked at him then looked down with saddened eyes, "I have nothing to do," she spoke slowly. She hadn't expected Hinata to leave so early so now she had no one left to help prepare for any plans they may have.

Neji spared her an almost pitiful look before he suddenly grabbed her hand, "Well, I'm definitely not going back there for awhile," He began to pull her with him in the opposite direction the other two had just went, "so how about you and I take a walk or something."

**Present Day**

"Oh! It all makes sense now!" Sakura suddenly leaned forward in her chair, "Me and Lee did see you two walk by together from the dango shop that day!"

"….Dango shop? I thought you said Lee brought you to the five star restaurant close to the market before you guys headed to the firework show?" Ino gave her friend an incredulous look as she realized the girl fibbed a bit about her _magical_ first date with Lee.

Sakura coughed twice then quickly looked away from the blonde before pushing up her glasses and fumbling with papers in her lap. Wait, since when did Sakura wear glasses? And was she….taking notes?

Ino chose to ignore these details, instead silently thanking the girl for taking time out of her day for this therapeutic 'session,' "Well anyway, we spent the rest of the day just hanging out. We got a bite to eat at that café not far from here, then we watched about half of the firework show before he surprised me with a box of chocolates he bought from one of the vendors out there.

"Then, we went to training ground eight since it was the closest and the chocolates ended up being used for aerial target practice," Ino let out a genuine laugh at the memory. "He ended up teasing me about not having a good aim like Tenten so I told him I can do a lot of other things better than Tenten. And then…." Ino trailed off.

Sakura was looking at Ino with a dreamy smile on her face, as if this was the most romantic story she'd ever heard. Noticing the girl didn't plan on finishing her sentence, Sakura snapped at her, "Well?" the other girl still didn't speak, "Ino! Don't leave me hanging like this! I have to know everything so I can…properly gauge the situation, ya know?" Sakura was giving her a weird look now, hoping the blond would buy her excuse and finish giving her the juicy details.

Ino decided to cut right to the chase, "We ended up kissing," a small, excited squeal was heard from Sakura. Shouldn't she be scolding her for kissing another kunoichi's man? Wow, Tenten should really work on finding more loyal female friends.

"The first kiss wasn't very long, I don't even remember who kissed who first. But afterwards, I kept giving him little pecks on the lips and he didn't seem to mind so I started making out with him." Ino felt a little strange saying what she did out loud, "We didn't see each other for a long time after that."

Sakura closed her eyes in deep thought for a few minutes before looking at her best friend with a big smile on her face, "You pig, I can't believe you didn't tell me!" Sakura playfully balled up one of her pieces of paper before throwing it at Ino.

Ino, grateful for the change of mood, threw the paper ball back at her, "You don't have to know everything, forehead girl!"

The green-eyed girl laughed a bit more before looking back at Ino, "So, when did things turn…um," Sakura hesitated on how to ask her question.

"When did we have sex?"

"Y-yea…that," Sakura blushed a bit at the new topic. Should a virgin really hear such things?

"In early July, the night of his birthday," Ino paused a bit before continuing, "Tenten was away on a mission and Kiba was teasing Neji about not being able to get what he really wants on his birthday. After a while, I thought about it and was like 'what the hell' and I went ahead and whispered to him that I could replace Tenten for the night. And I did"

Sakura did some math in her head before opening her mouth the speak, "But you're only about a month or so along, so were you two doing this….frequently?" she asked her friend.

"Not really. Well, we randomly spent time together every now and then. Flirting and just doing simple things together whenever we were both free…not much sex though." Ino looked at her friend's face which had a look that said _'Yea, sure' _before continuing, "The last time was on my birthday, in September, and that was actually after we broke it off. We stopped hanging out, even as friends. Him and Tenten were on-and-off a lot during that time but suddenly they were like super lovebirds. We only did it then because he wanted to…return that first favor I guess."

"Birthdays really are something special around here, ne, Ino-pig?" Sakura was still giving her friend a look through half-lidded eyes.

"Yes, Sakura. Yes they are." Ino briefly contemplated telling her best friend the worst part of all but she decided against it. It didn't mean anything now. It's just…

She had actually began falling for the Hyuuga as more than just a friend with benefits.

**Elsewhere**

Neji walked out of the Yamanaka Flower Shop, Inoichi had to inform the male that his daughter was out at the moment. _'Why isn't she here? That girl enjoys playing games with me, doesn't she?' _The Hyuuga's thoughts wandered into how he even ended up in this situation of looking for the blonde.

Yes he and the Yamanaka spent some days and even nights together. Her company wasn't all that bad, truthfully. Tenten's fiery personality pushed him a way many times but Yamanaka was always rather sweet and playful. It was almost as if…

'_No, that's not possible.' _The male shook his head of all thoughts regarding that.

Neji hadn't meant to spend Valentine's Day with another female while his girlfriend was sick, it had just happened that way. He may not believe strongly in destiny anymore, but damn was fate on his side that day.

**xXxXxXxXx**

**It'sss backkkk! But seriously, guys, if you don't like the story then you really don't have to read it. Feel free to share WHY you don't like it but don't flame me like "OMG THIS WOULD NEVER HAPPEN THOSE TWO NEVER TALK IN CANON THIS IS STUPID NEJITEN 4EVAH"**

**But anyways, as the story goes on more will be revealed concerning all the characters and past interactions. Stick around.**

**Patiently waiting for everyone's reviews **** ~ LilacBlossom**


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of its characters**

**xXxXxXxXx**

Rock Lee was not stupid, nor was he dense, and he definitely was not gullible. Some may say he is one of the more observant members of the Konoha 11, always taking time out to learn everything he can about each person he meets. You never know when you may need to pull from that knowledge to solve a problem. And right now, Rock Lee was definitely facing a problem.

After Tenten came back and told him Neji had to leave because he was _busy, _Lee automatically jumped to the worst. Could Neji be cheating on the beautiful Tenten once again? No, that couldn't be it. Lee noticed a few weeks ago that Neji and his _mistress _were done with each other, even becoming slightly hostile when the other was around. No one noticed though, of course they didn't notice, because no one else knew. Actually, that's wrong. There is one other person who knew.

Hinata Hyuuga cared very dearly for her nii-san, she would never reveal his secret to anyone, not even to her friend, Tenten. It was definitely messed up, and Lee hoped Tenten would never find out about her friend's betrayal. Anyway, Tenten has other female friends who would tell her if they found out, right? Maybe.

It was a complete accident that Lee discovered he had one other person shouldering this burden with him. It was during Ino's birthday party, he saw Neji whisper something into the blonde's ear that made her blush and nod her head at him. After the party was over, everyone went their separate ways. Neji had left the blonde's house before the party was over because he was 'tired', but Lee had a very deep set feeling that he was actually in the girl's bedroom waiting for her. Yea, that sounds about right.

Lee ended up walking Tenten home that night until Tenten suddenly remembered her money baggie was in Neji's pocket. So the two changed directions and headed to the Hyuuga compound. Lee panicked, he knew Neji would not be there. He needed a plan and a plan fast to cover his best friend and save his other best friend from a broken heart he knew would come once she started asking questions.

The guards let the two shinobi in after explaining their situation, and after confirming their identities. Lee was beginning to sweat as they neared Neji's empty bedroom only to be stopped by….

Hinata?

"Lee-san, Tenten-san, I'm sorry but Neji is not feeling well right now. He had trouble falling asleep so I would really appreciate it if you could possibly not wake him?" the girl pleaded with them. Lee can still vividly remember the look on her face; it was the same look that frequented his own face whenever he was in the company of both his teammates.

Naturally, the two turned to leave. Lee hoped Hinata would spill the beans, but she didn't. It was very unfortunate that the only people who knew such a horrible secret turned out to be the very two people who could never reveal such a thing, the best friend and the cousin of the perpetrator.

"Best friend, huh…?" Lee mumbled to himself as he silently pondered his situation.

"Did you say something, Lee?" the brunette was in the middle of laying out her scrolls to summon some weapons. Lee looked at her thoughtfully. "Stop being weird! You always get like this whenever Neji has to leave," Tenten then resorted to ignoring the green clad ninja.

'_Neji and Tenten are both my friends, but I have no right to tell her something like that. It is over anyway! Youthful Hinata already confirmed that for me,' _Lee then cleared his head of any misgivings as he 'stopped acting weird' at his teammate's request. She would have to learn his deep, dark secret another day.

**You, Me, Her, and It **

**Chapter Two: Shinobi Shouldn't 'Hang Out'**

**xXxXxXxXx**

Ino and Sakura decided to trade the pink-haired girl's stuffy apartment in favor of the fresh air in the streets of Konoha. There was a good bit of people hanging around, but not too many that the two felt they couldn't talk freely. They hadn't yet reached the main part of the village, so they continued their conversation. Ino had already decided she would wait to tell any of her other friends, even though Sakura was pestering her to at least inform the Hokage so she wouldn't be sent on any strenuous missions.

"I'm not going to retire, Sakura," The blonde told her friend as they continued to stroll, "I'm not going to change my workload either. I will continue missions, my shifts at the hospital, and my training with my father. You know it's been my dream to take over my father's position in intelligence after he retires."

"And a baby will fit into this how?" the doubtful girl questioned.

"I never said I was keeping it"

Sakura halted in her steps. "You mean…you're getting rid of it?" Sakura isn't one to judge but a topic like that was very controversial in Konoha. Abortions had only recently become an option under Tsunade's leadership. Probably because she was the only medic-nin who knew how to do it. That stuff isn't in most textbooks.

The blonde turned to her friend, "What? No!" Ino turned and began to walk again, "I meant like, adoption or whatever."

Finding a couple willing to adopt wasn't hard in the Leaf village. Retired kunoichi often were barren from their line of work and would opt take any child they could get. Unfortunately, there were never enough bouncing babies to go around. Ino could have her child, help out a desperate couple by completing their family, and still get to see the boy/girl around town, indirectly witnessing him/her grow up. Sounds good, right?

Sakura, being the realist of the two, made a very good point that Ino herself had overlooked, "The baby will have the Byakugan. I don't know if giving that bloodline to any old family would be a good idea," the girl carefully searched for any change in her friend's behavior.

"Well, _I_ can give the baby to anyone I want. It's not like I'll be giving away some sacred Hyuuga, my child will be a Yamanaka," Ino gave her friend a smile, "any other trait it is born with will just be a plus."

The pair stopped talking as they found themselves entering into larger pedestrian traffic on their way to the ramen stand. Once reaching their destination, Sakura peered in and let out a breath after realizing a familiar orange ninja was nowhere to be found.

After the two seated themselves and placed their orders, Sakura ordering miso and Ino ordering a weird concoction of ingredients that made Ayame turn green, Sakura decided to ask one last question.

"When are you going to tell him?" the pinkette questioned.

"…..oh shit." Ino turned white.

"What?"

"I told him to come over at noon and I completely forgot!" the blonde tilted her head upward, only to remember they weren't in Sakura's apartment so her familiar pink clock was nowhere to be found, "I hope he won't be too upset. We aren't exactly on good terms as it is."

Ino stared at the bowl placed in front of her as she remembered the last time she was in the company of her former lover. It was about two weeks ago and Team Ten decided to join Team Gai when they noticed them in the Korean BBQ restaurant. Needless to say, Ino avoided eye contact. But for some strange reason, Lee kept giving the girl a weird look throughout the entire meal. Even talking over her the moment she opened her mouth. How strange.

"Yamanaka."

Hearing her last name in that familiar cold voice, Ino inwardly cringed before turning in her stool to face her worst fear at the moment. Hyuuga Neji.

"….Hey," the girl lamely let out. Instantly cursing herself for suddenly becoming timid.

"A word?" the Hyuuga's tone of voice instantly translated that question into a demand, as he walked away expecting the blonde to follow.

Said blonde spared her companion an apologetic look before standing to make her exit.

"Ino, if anything bad happens, just make the signal! You know, the one from when we were kids," Sakura urged.

"Even if he were about to kill me, I would never do that!" Ino thought about the many secret codes the girls had and mentally slapped her younger self, "But….I'll do something, okay?"

Sakura nodded and continued her meal, at a slower rate than before, as Ino caught up to the Jounin who was now sitting on a bench a few meters away.

"Hi, hi!" Ino beamed at the desolate male.

"What?"

"Oh, straight to the point I see?"

Neji, not in the mood for her banter, gave her a death glare that clearly said, _'hurry up.'_

Ino's cheerful façade slowly crumbled as she turned to face forward and bluntly whispered, "I'm pregnant."

There was a calm quiet between the two that lasted for about four minutes. Ino began to watch the clouds above her, wondering if the cloud that looked suspiciously like a skull and crossbones should bother her or not. Neji, on the other hand, was looking to his right at a group of birds that were viciously fighting over some jerky.

Bored with the small creatures, Neji looked to his left at the girl next to him, "Have you decided anything yet?"

"Adoption."

"Hn."

Another two minutes or so had passed before Ino realized he was done with the conversation. _'He could at least act a little more….interested! He's probably going to just leave and forget about it until I actually start showing, then he would be constantly reminded.' _Ino did not expect her unplanned pregnancy to lead to some crappy love story, but hell, if she had to suffer and endure a pregnancy, he was going to suffer too!

Ino shifted on the bench so her whole upper body was facing him, "So…what are you going to do?"

Neji looked at her as if that was the stupidest question he ever heard in his life, "What are you asking, Yamanaka? There's nothing I _can_ do," he began to stand up, "you're the one preg-"

Ino suddenly latched onto Neji's arm and pulled him back to the bench.

"You self-centered jerk! This isn't just _my_ problem!" she let go of him as she continued, "_You _have to dedicate some of your resources to make sure me and this baby come out of this as healthy as possible!" Oh yes, she would definitely make him suffer. "And by resources, I mean your time. Someone is going to have to make sure I can get through my daily living without straining myself. It's bad for the baby." Neji gave her another one of his patented _'are you stupid?' _looks as she inwardly smirked to herself.

"_Also, _by resources, I mean money!" Ino couldn't help but grin in self-triumph at his reaction. It was somewhere between shock, disbelief, and fear. Maybe a bit of hatred as well. "As you know, I won't be able to continue working as a shinobi soon, so I've lost my only means to support myself," Ino knew her dad would help her out on a whim, but that wasn't important, "it's your job to see to it I'm well taken care of. It's good for the baby."

"You're not serious," Neji looked at the girl beside him with no particular expression, "I know you. This isn't you. So whatever scheme you're brewing up, it will fail, Yamanaka."

Uncharacteristically apathetic, Ino replied, "You definitely _don't _know me. At least, not anymore. The baby comes first here."

Neji bore deep into here eyes. The Yamanaka was surprisingly very hard to read once she put on a professional face, he figured it had something to do with her clan's specializations. The Hyuuga was not a cold-hearted person. Had the situation been different, he would've had no problem helping the girl throughout the pregnancy and seeing the infant off to it's new home. But, things were not different, he had something to think about.

Tenten.

How would she react? Angry probably. He would have to tell her when she is unarmed. Should he tell her at all?

The look in Neji's eyes changed to something less hostile as he voiced his concerns to the blonde, "Tenten. What do you expect me to do about Tenten?"

"Nothing," the look of disgust on Neji's caused her to quickly elaborate, "I-I mean that you don't have to like, break up with her or anything! Trust me, I don't want you," Ino's expression shifted to one of prideful superiority.

Neji looked away from the girl briefly then returned his hard gaze, "She will probably break up with me. She will probably blame you and you will gain a new enemy," he looked thoughtful for a moment, "You may gain several enemies. What you did may make you lose respect with the other kunoichi."

'_Yea, I thought the same," _the blonde mused to herself, remembering how nonchalant Sakura had been even after learning Ino broke the kunoichi code of sisterhood. Maybe if Tenten spent less time with the dudes and more with the dudettes the other girl would care more.

"What are you thinking about?" Neji asked, somewhat forcefully.

"Nothing at all," a small laugh on Ino's part, "Don't worry about your precious girlfriend. I'm already thinking up a plan that could possibly save your relationship," Ino continued, "Not that you even still deserve her."

Neji found her last statement rather appalling. It takes two to have an affair. In that case, Ino is just as bad as him for acting like best friends with Tenten despite everything. He gave the girl an incredulous look before speaking his mind.

"Yamanaka, you are a horrible person. I will pray to my ancestors that our child does not come out even half as screwed up as you are," Neji hoped his words would sting the girl even if only a bit.

'_I'm screwed up and yet you're the one praying to dead people. Must be a Hyuuga thing,' _the thought of the Hyuugas caused Ino's eyes to widen in remembrance, "Your family, what would they do if the baby has the Byakugan?" Ino inquired.

"…..I hadn't actually thought of that. I will have to tell our clan head the situation, keeping it a secret is not an option seeing as the child could possibly be used against us if someone-"

"They are not putting that freaky seal thing on my baby!" Ino almost yelled in a state of panic.

"They're not going to put it on your _baby_," Ino let out a sigh of relief before Neji continued, "The seal isn't placed until the child is of an appropriate age and-"

Neji was never able to finish his statement as Ino suddenly kicked him off the bench. The attack wasn't that painful, but it was the thought that counts. He then watched on in confusion as the Yamanaka stood on top of the bench and suddenly let out a loud noise….

Like a barking seal?

Before Neji could plan his escape from the very embarrassing scene, Haruno Sakura appeared out of nowhere and gave him a head start on his escape…by punching him a good 50 feet away.

Ino could only grin as her friend blew on her knuckles, "Hyuuga prodigy, huh?" Sakura turned to her friend, "Not even he could get out of the way of one of my sucker punches! CHAAA!"

"I didn't say to abuse him, forehead girl," Ino spoke through her laughter, "you were only supposed to come grab me and leave."

Sakura gave her friend a puppy dog pout, "Well that's no fun. You could've just walked away! When you called me, I assumed the worst." The pinkette began leading the way as the pair left the scene with many inquisitive stares behind them. By nightfall, the whole village would know Sakura punched someone who wasn't Naruto.

"So, what's the plan?" Sakura asked her friend, hoping the girl would give her as many details as possible.

"I'm actually not sure. The whole conversation led to nowhere," Ino began to ask herself if she accomplished anything at all just now, "But one thing's for sure, Neji now knows he's going to be a daddy!"

Sakura smiled at her friend's good mood, "Who else knows beside me and him?"

"No one."

Too bad that wasn't true. Ino spent a lot of time with her childhood teammates, there was hardly ever a secret between them. Ino's behavior lately was enough of a clue to tip off the two closest males in her life.

**xXxXxXxXx**

**Interlude: I Know a Secret**

**(One Week Ago)**

Team 10 was on their way back to the village from a quick mission to deliver supplies to one of the security posts on the border of the Fire Country. Not one to exert too much energy unless necessary, their team leader decided to take a break. Again.

"Choji, Ino," Shikamaru called to the two walking in front of him, "We're taking a break. Walking for so long is troublesome." The young man plopped down next to a large tree root and rested against it.

"This is the second time we've stopped in an hour!" Choji protested, "The sooner we get back to Konoha, the sooner I can eat!" Choji had been craving BBQ for a while now. Friend or not, no one stood in the way of him and his calories.

Shikamaru willfully ignored him, knowing he would get over it in about thirty seconds, and directed his glance towards Ino, wondering why she hadn't started her argument as soon as Choji finished. The girl looked uneasy but he didn't pay much attention to it. _'Troublesome,' _was his only thought as he pulled out a cigarette and lit it.

The moment the foul smelling smoke reached Ino's nose, she immediately became nauseated and jumped up from where she had been sitting, earning odd looks from her teammates at her abruptness, "What? I'm going pee, okay?" Ino informed the other two before leaving the trail and disappearing behind some trees.

Ten minutes had gone by and still no sign of Ino's return. With a sigh, Shikamaru rose unto his feet, "Why do women take so long to do everything?" looking towards his comrade only earned him a shrug and a look of _'you tell me.'_

"I guess I'll go this time," Shikamaru dutifully headed into the forest in the direction his teammate had left.

Shikamaru wasn't really expecting much as he approached his female teammate. Maybe an annoying rant about how she can take care of herself or a smack for stumbling upon her while she was still taking care of 'business', but he definitely was not expecting this.

Ino was in the process of retching, her figure bent over with one hand pressed against a tree. Nothing was coming out though, so it was safe to assume she had been vomiting for a while.

"Ino," he watched as the girl swung around and wiped her mouth, "What are you doing?" His bored expression never changed but he was actually very concerned for the girl.

"I must have eaten something weird. Maybe the jerky I found in my pack was bad after all," the girl let out a small laugh, "Let's go, no more breaks, okay?"

Shikamaru nodded his head as the two walked to rejoin Choji and headed in the direction of the village. The scene he witnessed never left Shikamaru's mind, however.

'_I haven't noticed any real change in her recently, but she had been abnormally tired this morning,' _the gears in the genius's head were already turning, _'I can tell she wasn't lying to me back there, she truly believes it was something she ate. Could she be pregnant and not know it?'_

Shikamaru never jumped to conclusions, so he carefully ran through everything he remembers about his teammate from the last couple days, he let out a sigh as he realized it probably was true. _'If she doesn't know, I'm not going to tell her. How troublesome.' _However, one thing was for sure:

Shikamaru knew a secret.

**(Later that Day)**

Team 10 was together once again as they decided to grant Choji's wish of BBQ. Ino was starving, so she packed much more on her plate than the two boys had ever seen her consume in one sitting.

"Why do we always get barbeque?" the blonde was ungraciously talking with her mouth full, "I mean, would fried food hurt every once in a while? I really want something fried." Ino's face suddenly brightened as a brilliant idea came to her mind, "You guys, let's go to that confectionary place a few blocks from here! They deep fry chocolate nougat bars!" She finished happily.

Shikamaru choked on his beef for a few seconds and Choji immediately put his chopsticks down, deep in thought. _'Ino would never suggest that. What's going on? The only people who would eat something that unusual is a preg-' _Choji's jaw immediately dropped at his realization. One look at his best friend confirmed his suspicions. He knew too.

Choji and Shikamaru knew a secret.

**xXxXxXxXx**

Tenten had heard a very odd rumor this morning. Apparently, it was going around the village that Haruno Sakura had physically assaulted her boyfriend. This rumor was confirmed the moment Neji showed up later on with a slightly swollen cheek. She probably wouldn't have even noticed the difference if she hadn't been searching for it.

"Are you okay?" Tenten asked the boy out of concern, but her question was clearly also asking for an explanation of just why Haruno found the need to knock him out. Or at least attempt to. No one knocked out the Hyuuga prodigy.

Neji gave her a look of feigned nonchalance, "I'm sure you know what happened already. I honestly don't know how Naruto can take so many of those, I know he heals fast but this is ridiculous," Neji looked at his girlfriend to see she was a little confused, "The punch, I mean. It was very….uncalled for."

"But why?"

Neji was silent for a moment, thankful that the girl was used to him not answering questions right away so she didn't notice his hesitation. "Tenten, there's something I need to tell you," the Hyuuga stated matter-of-factly.

"Okay. Go ahead," the brunette was now smiling with exaggerated 'cuteness', anticipating whatever he had to tell her. Neji couldn't bear to see that smile falter so he did the natural thing to do…

"I love you." Yep, he postponed the conversation.

Tenten beamed up at him, "I love you too, Neji! This isn't like you…" Tenten blushed as she looked down, _'Maybe he's finally becoming more open emotionally,' _she thought to herself. Neji never showed affection unnecessarily.

The girl continued, "Is it maybe because I've been, you know, _trying_ in the whole romance department?"

"Hm," Neji didn't even think about his response, "if this is about you the way you screeched at me and wanted to break up because I asked if you desired to hold hands, then no. I just wanted to remind you that I do indeed love you, Tenten."

"Wow…this really isn't like you," the chuunin looked somewhat confused. Even more confused because her lover didn't even spare her a glance as he said any of that.

The jounin mustered up a smile for the girl, "I know. There are a lot of things you wouldn't believe to be like me."

The girl chose to ignore his cryptic message as their other teammate approached them running on his hands.

**xXxXxXxXx**

A week had gone by with no noticeable difference in the life of Yamanaka Ino. It was as if her current situation was nonexistent. She didn't know how long she was going to keep everything a secret, but so far she didn't care much about it. Her morning sickness was now far in between, so she had no reminder of any of the recent events that took place.

Ino looked up as the bell above the shop's door rang out.

"Good afternoon, Ino." Fuu Yamanaka walked behind the cash register and pulled out an apron. Ino's distant cousin never took shifts at the shop, so it was kind of…awkward. Would he even be on the payroll? "No need to give me that look, I worked here a lot when I was about your age. I just need a break and this is perfect."

Ino didn't know much about her distant cousin, there were rumors he was a member of the ANBU branch Root, but whatever, all Ino knew was that she now had the day off.

The blonde quickly untied her apron and bid the auburn haired male farewell, "Okay, Fuu-san. See you later," Or not.

Ino already had an idea of what she wanted to do today, and that was to bother a certain Hyuuga.

'_I hope he didn't already tell Tenten. I should have taken care of her sooner,' _Ino sympathetically thought about the older girl. She didn't want to ruin Neji's relationship, she knew very well how much he loved her. Which is why she came up with the plan to tell Tenten it was a drunken one-night stand and that she was horribly guilt stricken.

Ino didn't _want _to lie but she

"Ino-chan!" the Yamanaka looked to her left and noticed Hinata waving to her from in front of the village bakery, "Don't you have shop duty today? It is Wednesday I believe." Of course her other best friend would know her work schedule. Ino decided to postpone harassing the other Hyuuga for the day.

"Yes, but, someone relieved me so now I have nothing to do," Ino cheerfully informed the other kunoichi.

"I see you have not noticed me," Ino looked to the left and realized Shino was also present, and addressing her in a rather creepy way, "It is because we are not close friends like you and Hinata," yea, creepy, "This is because no one notices when I am around."

"Um, sorry?" Ino wondered if that was what he wanted to hear.

Hinata giggled in front of her, "Don't let Shino-kun bother you, he's like this with everyone."

The threesome then entered the bakery; Hinata apparently had a taste for cinnamon rolls so she and Shino decided to stop here after they finished up a short mission. The blended aromas of the pastries hit Ino with incredible force but unlike her teammate's second hand smoke, it didn't make her want to retch. It actually made her mouth water in an unnatural way. The blonde decided to purchase some random cupcake and the small group of shinobi then sat at a nearby picnic table to enjoy the delicacies. Ino was rather surprised that Shino was actually still here, not taking him as the type to 'hang out'.

"So then, N-Naruto-kun ended up having to help wash dishes since he couldn't pay for our meal. He refused to let me take up the tab," Hinata had finished her story of yet another date gone wrong with her boyfriend.

Ino couldn't help but let out a small laugh at the story while Shino simply nodded his head in acknowledgement that he had heard it.

It was at that moment that Hinata looked over the blonde's shoulder and noticed her cousin along with his girlfriend walking, heading dangerously close to their location. Hinata knew her cousin's affair was over, he made it obvious by the way he acted in the Yamanaka's presence. They weren't intimate anymore. However, Hinata still didn't feel very comfortable in both of their presence.

"-and I was like 'Hey! Those flowers aren't free!' and chased the man-" Ino stopped in the middle of her sentence when she noticed the far off look in the other female's eyes, "Are you even listening?"

Hinata immediately jumped in her seat while Shino nodded one time in acknowledgment that he had heard her. At least someone was listening. Ino decided to start her story from the beginning.

**xXxXxXxXx**

Tenten noticed the threesome at the picnic table and alerted her boyfriend, "Hey, look who it is! We should go say hi," the brunette said cheerfully. Tenten enjoyed socializing whenever she wasn't training. She was a tomboy, but that female trait was still very much present in her.

Neji inwardly groaned at her suggestion. He had long seen them and was praying to his ancestors that Tenten would not. They never answered his prayers, probably because he was a branch member. Damn you, destiny.

"Tenten, we're only here because you ripped your summoning scroll. Let's just go to the supply shop so we can finish training." Neji retained his calm, knowing his lover usually complied with him whenever training was involved.

"We deserve a break, don't you think?" Tenten turned to her other teammate, "Right, Lee?"

Rock Lee felt helpless at the situation he was thrust into. Why did this always happen? Perhaps if he prayed to the Hyuuga ancestors as his teammate always did, his life would be as easy as Neji's. Maybe he should kick it up a notch and pray to the Sage of the Six Paths himself. But instead, he decided to not tip Tenten off to any suspiciousness so he simply replied…

"Okay."

Neji gave him a glare riddled with so much killing intent that a part of Lee died on the spot.

"Alright then!" Tenten sped ahead and left the two to follow.

"Neji," the green-clad shinobi addressed his friend, "I believe I have just lost a few years from my springtime of youth," he finished solemnly. Neji was very confused on what the hell he was talking about.

**xXxXxXxXx**

Shino's eyes twitched slightly behind his glasses, "I have a feeling something very bad is about to happen," the Aburame stood up, "I will now take my leave.

"Sh-Shino-kun! Please stay! I ca-, I don-, I-I…" the flustered teenager gave her friend a pleading look and he lowered himself back into his seat. For some reason, Hinata needed him here so he would stay.

Before Ino could ask Hinata what was wrong, Tenten suddenly plopped down next to her, "Yo!"

Ino gave the girl a blank look before grinning widely, "Hey, Ten! It's weird to see you not training till nightfall," the blonde was subtly asking the girl why was she here.

"Well, this guy," Tenten pointed at Neji, who took a seat on Hinata's right. Shino was on Hinata's left with Lee sitting across from him, "made me rip a scroll so I couldn't practice my technique anymore."

Ino looked at Neji, who was diagonal from her, and smiled, "That's unfortunate."

"I can't be mad at him, though," Tenten shrugged her shoulders, "His little mishap is what gave us this nice break."

Ino was still smiling as she continued to look at the male, "Yea. Go, Neji."

Tenten giggled next to her. Was she really the only one here who didn't feel….uncomfortable? Well, excluding Ino of course. She still refused to allow the situation to negatively effect her life. But even Shino felt the weird vibes coming off the remaining three occupants of the table.

Before Ino's comments towards Neji could become anymore…awkward, Lee and Hinata joined forces to prevent the inevitable.

"So, Hinata-chan," Lee was back to his exuberant self, "How are things with you and Naruto?"

Hinata immediately blushed, "Are we really going to discuss such things?" the girl then decided to flip the conversation, "Why don't you tell us about you and Sakura?"

The young man immediately began to sulk, much to the displeasure of his teammates, "There has been no progress with my courtship of Sakura-chan. However, I will not give up!" Lee proudly declared.

"You haven't even really been trying lately!" Tenten pointed out.

"Well, I've learned that some females like cold and distant men so maybe my 'backing off' will work in my favor," Lee nonchalantly said, not sounding very convincing at all.

"I think that's good, Lee-kun," the younger Hyuuga admired his determination. Throughout their conversation, Ino and Neji had been holding a silent one.

Ino gave him an expectant look, _'Are you going to say something?'_

Neji replied with a low cough and a pointed look, _'No.'_

The two could carry a conversation with only facial expressions for a very extended period of time. This subtle way of communication was often used to discuss secret rendezvouses whenever they were at a group event.

Ino shot him a frustrated look with her brows furrowed, _'Why?'_

Neji's eyes darted towards Tenten then back at Ino as he frowned slightly, _'Because of her, obviously.'_

Nope, Yamanaka Ino was not about to kill his relationship today, not if he had anything to say about it.

Well, actually…

Ino suddenly sat up straight up in her seat, "I have an announcement to make," everyone at the table gave her an inquisitive look, "I…"

Seeing the look Ino gave his friend before she began to speak, Lee took action. He let out a loud gasp and pretended to choke, thrusting his body to the right and knocking Ino out of her seat.

"What the hell, bushy brows!" Ino shrieked at the older male.

Hinata ran around the table to Lee and began giving him the Heimlich maneuver. Ino couldn't believe what she was seeing, did Hinata honestly believe Lee was choking? Any idiot can see through his horrible acting.

It was at that moment that Neji realized something. The two of them knew. It all made sense now. Hinata telling Tenten little white lies that eventually got back to him, Lee always acting weird and randomly telling Tenten how attractive she was and that any boy would be lucky to have her even though he knew it would piss Neji off. He immediately felt horrible and decided enough was enough.

Shino's eye twitched again. Something was definitely about to happen.

With Lee and his cousin now on the ground and Ino standing above them screaming profanities, Neji turned to his girlfriend and looked her in the eye.

"I have been unloyal to you."

Tenten's amused face instantly fell, "Wh-What?"

Shino, being the only one hearing the conversation, immediately regretted his decision to stay.

"I had an affair with Yamanaka and now she is with child," underneath his cold demeanor, Neji was very upset.

Hearing her name, Ino looked up at the table. She was now on the ground too because Lee had swung his legs in an attempt to get up and 'accidently' knocked her legs from under her.

'_Oh no….he's ruining my plan!' _Ino was at Tenten side in a second, on her knees in front of the brunette. "I am soooo sorry!" Ino's eyes began to water, "He was drunk and I came on to him. It only happened once but I feel like I could die!"

Hinata had to pinch Lee, who was now faking a seizure, to get him to pay attention to the exchange.

Tenten was utterly speechless. She didn't even know Neji drank! But now that she thought about it, he did stay home from training once about two months ago, claiming exhaustion. He must've had a hangover and didn't want her to know.

"….I'm not mad at you," Tenten spoke quietly. The two behind her could only face plant in disbelief. She then turned her gaze to Neji, "I don't want you to ever hide anything like this from me again, okay?" her voice now held hints of anger, "People do stupid things when they're drunk…I mean, Lee tries to kiss me every time he takes even a sip of sake! And even my father has–" the girl suddenly cut herself short. No use bringing more drama into this situation.

Lee was about to get up after having fallen again, but decided to just give up and laid back down after he heard her words, _'I am being used an example of why to excuse an affair….I am washing my hands of this situation.'_

Tenten would never cry in front of someone, it was just against everything she stood for. Crying in public would only increase the notion of kunoichi being weak and frail. Unbeknownst to her, however, Hinata was behind her silently shedding tears for her friend.

"I have to go. I'll see you guys tomorrow," Tenten stood and began walking in the direction of her home, not sparing a single look back.

Neji observed the scene in front of him. Tenten's retreating form, Ino now sitting in her seat with her chin in the palm of her hand, Lee sprawled on his back on the ground, Hinata with her hands clasped in front of her silently crying, and Shino nodding his head in acknowledgement of what he had just witnessed.

'_How did things come to this?' _Even though he told his girlfriend his secret, Yamanaka just had to open her mouth and _lie_ so now he feels even more horrible.

Shikamaru and Choji noticed the group and began walking their way, however, they ended up turning on their heels and retreating the moment they felt the tense atmosphere.

'_Well, those two are smart enough to avoid trouble. Why is it that trouble is so hard for me to avoid?' _Neji wanted nothing more than to turn on his heels at the situation he was in and walk back into easier times. When it was just he and Tenten. No Yamanaka and definitely no _it._

Yamanaka.

It.

They were real, and very much a part of his life forever now.

"Ino," Neji stared at the blonde in front of him.

"Yes?" Ino couldn't help but sound a bit hesitant. Neji _never_ called her by her first name in public. That was reserved for more intimate times.

"You didn't really talk to her about _it_. I don't think she fully absorbed what I said."

"Oh yea, huh," Ino rose from her seat at the table, "No use overwhelming the girl. Wait a few days and then ask her if she caught that part."

Neji frowned at how uncaringly Ino spoke about the pregnancy, almost as if _she_ hasn't fully absorbed the situation either. She also didn't seem too disheartened that she had in fact still lied to the other female. Sure, it was for a good cause but Neji would've preferred to just get it all out. He will tell Tenten the truth. One day.

Ino looked down at Neji, causing him to immediately stand up. No one looked down at Neji Hyuuga.

"I'm sorry," she managed to mumble out. The other three shinobi gazed at her in slight surprise, her sudden apologetic attitude a stark contrast to just a minute ago. The apology was sincere. What came next was even more surprising.

The blonde girl practically threw herself into Neji and grasped him in a very odd hug.

"I just want you to be happy," the girl whispered into his ear. Even after getting over the initial shock, he still didn't return her hug. Just stood there extremely stiff until she eventually backed away and looked at him for a few moments.

After a few seconds with no response from the boy, Ino walked away.

Neji only stood there as his teammate, cousin, and person number three came to him. There was a heavy silence that lasted at least one full minute.

"I very much enjoyed this outing. Thank you for you camaraderie," Shino said sternly.

**xXxXxXxXx**

Tenten was very upset. Very. It was at this moment that the girl realized she had no female friend she could go to and cry freely. So she went to the next best thing.

Her sensei.

Might Gai was very confused when his former student showed up at the Jounin Standby Station's lounge in tears. Kakashi had been the one to inform him of the girl's presence, asking "Gai, did your student maybe lose a pet today?" to get his attention.

Gai awkwardly held the girl. It must be very serious if the girl was actually displaying such emotion in public. Growing tired of the incompetent male's ability to calm a crying female, Anko and Yugao decided to relieve him of his situation.

Bringing the girl to the little kunoichi's room, the two began to comfort her. Tenten looked at the older females and began to cry harder, feeling ashamed that so many people had to see her like this.

Seeing the girl crying even harder than before, Anko was about to go retrieve Gai once more before Tenten's soft voice stopped her, "I don't think anything you say will comfort me. I should have never come here. I apologize." Tenten dutifully bowed her head.

"Well, you can still tell us what's got you down, girlie," Anko.

Tenten relaxed a bit and leaned against one of the grimy face bowls in the room, "Relationship issues."

"Oh…well I can't help you there. None of my relationships lasted beyond a one-night stand," Anko stated. The term 'one-night stand' caused Tenten to cringe just a little.

Yugao's expression softened, a remarkable feat for a woman hardened by service in the ANBU, as she spoke quietly to the girl, "I lost the man I loved a long time ago," she got a faraway look in her eye as she began to think about Hayate.

Tenten looked back and forth between the two women in front of her. She suddenly didn't feel as upset. Her situation could be much, much worse. She felt silly for confiding in the two purple-haired women. One has never been in a relationship and the other was pretty much a widow. Tenten had it good compared to them. She never doubted that Neji loved her, and she loves him very much as well.

The brunette wiped away her tears, bowed to her two superiors, and gave them a sincere thank you before leaving the room.

The two women looked at each other.

"Well, that was easy. I should become a counselor or something," Anko joked before her and the other female exited the bathroom.

Yugao simply returned to what she had been doing, "Indeed, Mitarashi."

**xXxXxXxXx**

Ino ran through the day's events in her head for the 50th time that night. She was in front of her vanity brushing her hair. After fighting with a knot for a few seconds, the girl got frustrated and threw her brush down.

'_I hate feeling like this. Things went better than expected in all actuality but I feel like shit because Tenten looked me in the eye and said she wasn't mad at me!' _Ino felt like hiring someone to come beat her up so she can at least feel like she got what she deserved. She wondered to herself if that would be a D-rank mission if she did hire someone. It wasn't worth the money if it was ranked anything more.

Ino exhaled and laid her head on her arms. She reached for an object on the right side of the surface and brought it to her. It was a hair tie. Neji's hair tie.

The blonde groaned then threw herself onto her bed, playing with the small object between her fingers. Was what she did worth it?

Her thoughts began to wander to her time spent in the Hyuuga's presence. She rolled onto her side and ran her hand against her soft comforter on her queen size bed. Neji didn't even have a bed, it was a mat on the floor. His sheet was so thin that Ino can vividly remember freezing her butt off under them. Things were much better in her room. Plus she didn't have to worry about random family members being extremely nosey. The stereotype was true, walls in the Hyuuga compound really _did _have eyes.

Ino groaned again and tossed the small object away from her. Damn Neji for plaguing her thoughts. Damn Tenten for not slitting her throat with a kunai. Damn Hinata, Lee, and Shino for just sitting back and enjoying the show, they may as well have had some popcorn to go along with their gaping!

'_I wonder if the whole village will know by tomorrow. I doubt Tenten would tell anyone and the other three aren't the gossiping types so maybe my reputation won't go down the drain just yet.' _Ino found comfort in that one little detail as she drifted off into sleep.

**xXxXxXxXx**

**A/N: There's chapter two. Naturally, I'm nervous about posting this.**

**Oh yea, someone said my writing style is "distracting" but didn't elaborate u.u I'm not a fanfiction veteran so I'll need a less vague description on how to improve my writing**

**Read and review please ~ LilacBlossom**


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of its characters.**

**xXxXxXxXx**

Tenten awoke from her slumber at the sound of light tapping on her bedroom window. After a short investigation, the brunette realized it was her boyfriend. The events from that afternoon all came rushing back to her as she climbed out of the comfort of her bedroom to join the Hyuuga on the roof.

"Tenten." The young man bluntly said.

"….Hi." Tenten didn't care much for cheesy romantic dramas, but this definitely was nowhere near as romantic and emotional as it could, rather should, be. "I already told you I'm fine. I don't see why this couldn't wait until morning."

Neji actually knew that she was, in fact, not fine. His former sensei had found him releasing frustration on a training post and questioned him on why Tenten was crying. The man was very disturbed, he had never seen the girl like that before. After he told his sensei that he would take care of it, the man gave him two thumbs up and quickly vanished.

"I just wanted to make sure you were fine," he was telling truth, "We will have to deal with the situation sooner or later, so I chose sooner." Seeing the confused look on her face, he continued slowly, "About the baby."

Tenten's eyes immediately widened. How could she have forgotten that part? She looked down at her slippers before speaking, "What…will you do, Neji?"

"I plan to request an audience with Hiashi-sama. I will explain the situation to him, give him time to fully analyze our position, and then we will probably have another audience. The second time being with him, you, Yamanaka, the Hyuuga council, and myself." He finished his explanation professionally, no visible emotion on his face.

"Why do I have to be there?"

"I just want to make it clear to them that I love you and will not marry Yamanaka."

Tenten felt a pang in her heart at his words. She couldn't bare the thought of him being forced to marry another woman.

After a brief pause, the girl decided to speak, "Well, okay."

Neji stood from where he had been sitting, "The meeting with you will be a week and a half or so from now. The elders like to deliberate things very slowly," he then jumped off of the rooftop and disappeared into the night.

"I love you too, Neji," Tenten hugged her knees close to her and decided to stargaze a bit before returning to her bedroom.

**xXxXxXxXx**

**You, Me, Her, and It**

**Chapter Three: Hizashi, Are You There? It's Me, Ino.**

A week has gone by since the events that took place at the picnic table. How many weeks are in a pregnancy again? Ino really didn't care at this point. The blonde got out of bed on a cool Thursday morning and got ready to start her day.

Ino would be training with her father until about three o'clock and from there would probably go to the missions desk in the academy and request work. They would probably tell her, as usual, that there were no missions for a chuunin such as herself at the moment. The only time Ino ever saw any action was when she and her former teammates would team up again, usually because Shikamaru requested them. Other than that, Ino did have the occasional B or A-rank mission, filling in for the role of a healer. There were several other medic-nins people would choose before her though.

Heading downstairs, Ino greeted her father and was rather shocked to also see Shikaku and Choza present.

"Ino, my beautiful daughter," Inoichi walked over to the fellow blonde and gently urged her to take a seat at the kitchen table, "I have some spectacular news for you," the man was beaming from ear to ear.

Looking around, Ino also noticed the smiles on the other males faces, "Okay, what is it?" she was a bit anxious but figured it couldn't be anything too bad.

"Ino, Ibiki has requested to take you on as an apprentice," the man smiled even more as his daughters jaw dropped, "Aside from training with me to perfect our clan's jutsu, you will also have training with him three days a week to learn how to extract information from someone without needing to go into their mind."

The girl didn't know what to say, so she just nodded as her father continued.

"From this day on, consider yourself now a Tokubetsu Jounin, specializing in intelligence gathering and interrogation." The man looked his daughter over as she began to shake with excitement. She was a Tokubetsu Jounin. A Special Jounin. Not skilled enough to be considered an elite shinobi, but her abilities got her recognized as a specialist in a certain area.

"You have no idea how happy I am. This is my dream," Ino still couldn't believe it. She didn't think she deserved it. The girl had been slacking on her ninjutsu training lately.

"One more thing, tomorrow morning, report to the Godaime. She will officially notify you of your promotion and you will also be required to take a physical."

Ino's whole world had just shattered.

"Ph-Physical?"

"Nothing too extravagant, just the usual. Don't fret, you know you are perfectly healthy."

Define healthy, dad.

"Take the day off, darling," the man looked his daughter over again, "you don't look well."

Shikaku and Choza each gave their congratulations as the trio left. Shikamaru was already a jounin and Choji was a Tokubetsu jounin just like her. She felt proud of herself, but….

'_Sakura was right, where _does_ a baby fit into this?'_

Ino's pity party was interrupted by someone opening her front door and closing it behind them. She looked up to see it was the devil himself.

"Have you ever heard of knocking?" the blonde tried to act angry but gave up after a few seconds.

"Haven't you two learned by now not to leave your house key under a flowerpot?" Neji took a seat next to her, "It's predictable."

"What?" Ino deadpanned at him.

"Monday morning, I am expecting you at the Hyuuga compound no later than ten. Understood? And wear something…" the boy looked her over a few times, scrunching his nose at her orange shirt with the kanji for 'boar' on it, "other than that. Or that purple top. It's hideous."

He left immediately after that, Ino not even caring what the hell he wants her there for. All she wants is to be happy. She wants the same for him too. And Tenten. And the it. Or itette, whichever one it turned out to be. Whatever the Hyuugas wanted to discuss, she'll make sure it leads to happiness for everyone, even if she has to sacrifice her own.

"I don't even know what would make me happy," Ino admitted to absolutely no one as she headed back to her bedroom. Actually, she did have an idea of what would make her happy. Unfortunately, it's entirely impossible. It's _always_ been impossible.

**Five Months Ago**

"Neji, I have a question," the blonde chuunin had a serene look on her face as she sat in the middle of a cosmos field on the outskirts of Konoha, her companion's head resting on her lap.

"What?" the older male sounded slightly annoyed. He had been enjoying the quiet.

Ino giggled at his usual attitude, "You and Tenten broke up again, right?" a grunt of displeasure was her confirmation, "Have you decided if you're gonna ask her out again?"

"Probably," he should've put more effort into that response but whatever.

"You don't ever think you'll date anyone _besides_ Tenten? I mean, you're only 19 so…"

"No, Yamanaka." Neji sat up and rubbed his neck, "No."

Silence overtook the duo. Ino was never silent. This observation didn't go unnoted by the genius. However, he chose not to inquire about her thoughts. He knew what she was hinting at.

"If you say so," Ino huffed, "Now put your head back so I can braid some flowers in your hair!"

The jounin obliged. He couldn't give her what she wanted so the least he could do was let her entertain herself.

**End Flashback**

That day in the cosmos field was one of her last pleasant memories with the male. So back to the point, her idea of happiness was impossible and will always be impossible.

The cold-hearted Hyuuga prodigy will never be her boyfriend.

**xXxXxXxXx**

Hiashi had a headache. The news his nephew came to him with two days ago was downright outrageous. And now here he was, dealing with the stuck up pricks that made up the Hyuuga council. He decided to cut right to the chase.

"Honorable council, elders, brethren, main house and also branch, I have gathered you here to discuss an important turn of events." Hiashi looked around to make sure he had everyone's attention, "As you know, we had recently come to an agreement that Hyuuga Neji of the branch house would be my successor, as my humble eldest daughter has denounced her status."

A murmur was heard in the room. It was very scandalous when Hinata came in front of them only recently to declare she did not wish to be a Hyuuga any longer, and that she wished to change her surname whenever she married. Her boyfriend was anther scandalous matter, but many fellow brethren vouched for the boy, claiming he will most likely be Rokudaime so Hinata would not disgrace their name by marrying him.

By that point, no one even objected because the whole heir situation was a long standing matter that everyone wished to just be over with. And so, it was decided that on his 20th birthday, the council would officially inform Neji of his new status.

That was until this.

"My new successor has come to me with an issue. He is expecting a child." Hiashi braced himself for the backlash.

"What?"

"Since when did he marry?"

"Is it too late to be terminated?"

"Hizashi would be proud!"

"He's only 19!"

Hiashi raised his hand for silence, "That is not all. The girl carrying his child is not his…girlfriend," the word was very uncomfortable for the older man to use, "but it is someone else."

A silence engulfed the room.

Hotaru, one of the female elders, spoke up, "Excuse me, Hiashi-sama, but we are confused."

Hiashi couldn't think of anyway to say it without sounding scandalous, so he just resigned to throwing himself to the dogs, "Neji is expecting a child for a female who is not his lover, but someone else completely."

The room was in an uproar.

"He must marry her at once!"

"Dispose of the seedless one."

"How could he?"

"Shame!"

"He is not fit to be heir"

"Fail."

Hiashi raised his hand once more, "We have until Monday to reach a conclusion. That is seven days from now. Please try to be as open as you can." Hiashi stood, "Meeting adjourned."

**Day One**

Hiashi stood with two pictures in front of him. He raised his left arm, "This is Tenten, Neji's lover," he then raised his right hand, "This is Ino, his….mistress," Hiashi lowered the photos, "Discuss."

Hotaru spoke first, "The blonde one is unacceptable. Just look at that photo!" Indeed, Ino's newest ninja registration picture was…questionable. It featured her with both of her hands over her breasts and giving the camera a seductive look. His messenger should have chosen a photo from a different year.

Natsu of the branch house spoke next, "We cannot judge by appearance, sister. The brunette also looks unpresentable in her photo." Tenten's picture looked as if she had ran to the studio straight after training to take it, hair out of place and face gleaming with sweat.

Hitomi, a rather romantic middle-aged woman, gave her opinion, "If Neji-san wishes to marry his lover, why are we having this debate?"

Heero, the eldest of the males, spoke up, "We must select him to marry the one who can best represent our clan as head lady. Unfortunately, there is no room for love in this situation. Unless the situation is dire, he should most definitely marry the one he has impregnated."

"I'd say this situation is indeed dire," Hotaru spoke again. The blonde girl in that picture looked nothing like what a Hyuuga should be.

Hiashi cleared his throat, "I think it is fair to say that by this judging, Neji should definitely be engaged to his brown-haired lover. Even if she is not the mother, Neji having a child without being a married man is much worse."

The council agreed. Meeting adjourned.

**Day 3**

"Will the messenger please come forward." a young man came stepped out from the shadows.

"Recite everything you have learned about these two young women," Hiashi spoke firmly.

The man nodded before raising the photo in his left hand.

"Yamanaka Ino. 18. A Tokubetsu jounin. Hails from the Yamanaka clan, a clan that specializes in mind techniques. Under direct tutelage of the current clan head and is expected to begin special training with Morino Ibiki. The Yamanaka clan has close ties to the Akimichi clan, one of the four noble clans of Konoha. Is described as being particularly vain but also very confident. She is an incredibly capable medical ninja and-"

"That's enough," Hiashi found no need for the man to continue since the council was lively with approving murmurs and nods. "The next girl." The messenger lowered his left hand and raised the picture in his right.

"Tenten, no surname reported. 19. Hails from no particular clan. Her only living relative, her father, is a civilian. Former member of Neji's genin team. Currently a Chuunin but is said to be up for promotion. Reported to be the best handler of ninja weapons in Konoha. Is described as being a modest girl, slight tomboyish and um….um…" it was obvious the man had nothing else to read from the back of her photo.

The occupants of the room talked amongst themselves quietly but the result of this judging was obvious.

Stature wise, the Yamanaka was much better qualified. Meeting adjourned.

**Day Five**

"The child must be branded! If the Yamanaka is not married to Neji, his rights as a father are nonexistent and the child will be sheltered by the Yamanaka name!" the eldest elder Heero had veins popping around his eyes.

"But if Neji is declared clan head, his child will be main house and therefore will not be branded either way!" the romantic Hyuuga Hitomi retorted.

This debate had been going on for a while and the council was polarized.

The group on the left supported Yamanaka and the group on the right supported Tenten. Who gave them permission to change their seating arrangement anyway?

Hiashi rubbed his temples. This is literally the most exciting topic the Hyuuga council has ever discussed. They were like the audience watching a trashy tv show, rooting for the person they liked and insulting the person they didn't.

What did Hiashi himself want? He wanted whatever Neji wanted, truthfully. The boy had been adamant about his choice so this discussion wouldn't change anything. If forced to do anything against his will, the boy would probably remove himself from the clan and skip town. Then, they would be heirless and stuck trying to convince the extremely rebellious Hanabi to shape back up into the perfect heir candidate she once was.

Hiashi raised his hand for silence, "Either way this goes, the child will have to be in our care. We cannot afford to have an unbranded Hyuuga running freely about. Adoption is not an option and the Yamanaka will not be raising the baby on her own." He stood to his feet, "Meeting adjourned."

No real results came from the hour-long argument, so the current score still held the girls as tied.

The next time the clan would meet, the two girls would be in front of them.

**xXxXxXxXx**

On the day of the audience, Tenten decided to trade her two buns for a more elegant, single bun. Neji told her to wear something 'nice.' Tenten was so nervous about her wardrobe, she almost considered not going for a second. But that was not an option.

As she left her home, Tenten walked slowly in an attempt to get used to the feminine sandals she was wearing. Her unsure waddle drew a lot of attention and she had barely gotten a few blocks before hearing someone call her name.

"Hey, Ten! It's weird to see you not training till nightfall," Haruno Sakura was the owner of the voice. Her phrase sounded oddly familiar, as if someone had said the exact same thing to her recently.

A certain blonde's face flashed in Tenten's head before the brunette decided to answer the pink-haired girl, "I'm on my way to the Hyuuga compound," she spoke surely.

Sakura's face changed into one of realization, "Oh! That meeting is today, huh?" the pinkette looked like she wanted to say something but didn't, "That…sucks."

Tenten suddenly remembered something as she walked with the medic-nin.

"Um, Sakura," Tenten turned to the girl, "Why did you punch Neji that day?" Tenten watched as her friend's mouth opened at the unexpected question, "It had something to do with Ino, didn't it?"

"Hmm…yea. Ino was telling him about her _situation_ and he started being a jerk," Sakura still didn't know why exactly Ino made the call, but she didn't want to sound like she punched the boy for no reason.

'_A jerk, huh? I don't even know Neji anymore,' _the girl admitted to herself.

"Her pregnancy….was he planning to be a deadbeat dad or something?" Tenten hated deadbeat dads. All she had growing up was her father and to be honest, he was pretty much a deadbeat even though he did take care of her after her mother passed. She vividly remembered many nights he would come home at 3 in the morning, ignoring the little girl telling him she was hungry. No child deserved that.

"Uhh…well, he seemed a bit uncaring but-"

Tenten suddenly stopped her waddle, "I will NOT allow Neji to do that to his child! Even if I had to help him take care of it….myself," the girl was shocked by her own words. Sakura started to feel very uncomfortable but decided to attempt to help the girl out of her funk.

"Well, they're putting the baby up for adoption anyway!" Sakura hesitated after seeing Tenten's face turn even more sullen.

"Oh…" Tenten couldn't help but worry about the possibility of the baby ending up in a bad home.

"Did you want the baby or something?" Sakura attempted to joke.

"…."

'_Okay, this is the last time I try to cheer anyone up.'_

"A baby, huh" the brunette mumbled to herself, "A baby…Neji's baby." Tenten was unsure who her boyfriend planned to pawn his baby off to but she now had an indescribable feeling deep inside her. The baby was innocent. It deserves love.

The two girls bid farewell as they went their separate ways. Sakura was very confused about what had just transpired.

**xXxXxXxXx**

Ino had arrived at the Hyuuga compound rather early. The blonde nodded to the guards as she walked in, they were probably notified she would be arriving and told her to go wait outside of the grande sitting room. Not one to sit on her knees until a door slid open, Ino took her time strolling through the compound until she noticed Hinata on the other side of one of the open breeze ways, sitting on a swinging bench hanging from a tree.

She approached the girl and sat next to her, "….Hey."

"Hello, Ino-chan," Hinata smiled at her the same way she always did. Never judging or scrutinizing her.

Ino immediately felt herself breaking down, she didn't deserve for anyone to treat her nicely! Hinata noticed the girl's pained expression and watering eyes and quickly took action.

"Wh-What's wrong?" Lavender eyes met blue ones.

"I'm a horrible person! Everyone knows it," Ino didn't care as tears began falling from her eyes, "What can I do to fix this? How can I change what has been done?" the blonde's voiced cracked several times.

Ino thought back on her past week. She managed to get out of her physical, citing that being a medic-nin meant she should handle her own health. But the girl knew she couldn't hide her pregnancy forever. This just wasn't supposed to happen.

Hinata looked thoughtful for a moment, "There is something us Hyuugas do whenever there are questions we can not answer for ourselves," with an unwavering voice, the girl motioned for her friend to follow her.

Ino didn't pay much attention as Hinata opened a gate surrounding one of the gardens and walked a little ways down a path. The two stopped at a shrine.

"All of our clan ancestors are immortalized here," the Hyuuga led the way inside, "We pray to them whenever we need guidance and they offer us a way."

Ino took in everything around her, there were figurines and statues everywhere and there was a wall with several names engraved on it.

"If there is a specific ancestor you wish to speak to, you light an incense and slide it into the small opening below their name," Hinata looked over to check if the girl was listening, "Our clan is derived from the Elder Son of the Sage of the Six Paths. He is an ancestor we share with the Uchihas, although I w-wouldn't suggest praying to any of th-them"

Ino smiled at the slightly younger girl's attempt to humor her.

"We pray to our ancestors because they will pass our prayers on to the Elder Son, which from there, they will go on to the Sage himself," Hinata looked at the blonde, "I know it's silly, b-but it's still something," the girl offered her a freshly lit incense.

The Yamanaka took the object into her hands with caution before looking back to Hinata, "Which one does Neji pray too?"

Hinata pointed at finger towards a set of names that were still relatively fresh looking, not having suffered the wear and tear of other parts of the marble wall, "Hyuuga Hizashi."

Ino approached the wall, slid the incense in, and then clapped her hands together. A few minutes went by without the two girls saying anything and Hinata was using this time to sweep up fallen ashes. Something must have the clan very worked up for there to be such an amount on the floor.

Ino opened her eyes and turned to her friend, "How will I know if…he heard me?"

"He will hear you. Our ancestors are always listening," Hinata tilted her head to the side and gave another sweet smile that made the other girl want to cry once more.

**xXxXxXxXx**

Within the next few minutes, Ino found herself sitting in front of the door, on her knees with Tenten next to her. There was no tension, as the older girl still believed it had happened only once, after all.

'_I need to remember to tell her the truth,' _Ino made a point to herself.

"Ino," Tenten whispered to the girl next to her, "are you really going to put the baby up for adoption?"

The blonde never turned her head to fully address her senior, "Yes, I decided that a long time ago." If the blonde did decide to glance over, she would have noticed the obvious pained expression on the older girl's face.

The door opened to reveal an elderly man who then directed them to the middle of the room, each girl sitting on either side of Neji.

Neji looked over at his girlfriend and gave her a small smile, leaving something to be desired by the other girl.

Hyuuga Hiashi stood and introduced every single person in the room. One look at Tenten and Ino immediately knew all those names flew straight over her head as well.

"Let us begin," the man sat down, "Start by telling me what it is each of you want."

"I, Hyuuga Neji, wish for permission to continue my relationship with Tenten-san and would be fully willing, and honored to marry her." No mention of the it.

Tenten looked at the bowing boy next to her and hesitated, "….I, Tenten, wish for you to allow me to make Hyuuga Neji happy in anyway possible." No mention of the it.

Ino felt a great deal of pity for the couple. She took a long glance around the entire room, becoming painfully aware of every set of white eyes on her, all waiting for her to speak. Even Neji had turned his head in her direction while still bowing with his face to the ground.

'_Screw it,' _the blonde then shocked everyone by standing up before bowing, "I, Yamanaka Ino, wish to forever be out of the lives of both Hyuuga Neji and Tenten," the blonde's voice was strong, betraying every emotion she was currently feeling, "I relinquish all claims to this child," her voice was now growing loudly, "the child is already slated for adoption," Ino straightened her back out and looked directly into the clan leader's eyes, "I am nothing more than a surrogate mother for a much more deserving couple."

The room was quiet. When she put it that way, did it matter who Neji married at all? Heero, the eldest elder, made his voice heard, "The girl does not matter but the child will be raised by Hyuugas. Perhaps one of our older couples will be willing…"

The man's voice was lost as Neji's suddenly boomed over his. Now standing as well, the young man proclaimed, "I, Hyuuga Neji, wish to retain my paternal rights to this child."

Now things were getting complicated.

In order for Neji to be acknowledged at the child's father, he must be a married man. A bachelor had no stature to be a single, unwed parent. It would be scandalous. Hiashi spoke this time, "That is very noble of you, however-"

What happened next was something no one had anticipated.

"I, Tenten, volunteer to pick up Yamanaka Ino's maternal rights and raise her child, alongside Hyuuga Neji, as my own." The brunette had also stood up proudly and grabbed her boyfriend's hand.

Neji began sputtering out incoherent protests while the council was flabbergasted. Neji knew what caused his own change of heart. He didn't want any Hyuuga raising his child. The clan was noble but also very callous. The jounin's own childhood had been one marked by uncaring caretakers and a cold atmosphere. It was obvious why he decided to want to raise the child. But why would Tenten…

Ino was speechless. The blonde's jaw hung low, "Wh-what?" dozens of hard eyes began to stare the blonde down for speaking out of turn, "I-I mean, I, Yamanaka Ino, says whaaat?"

Facepalms flew across the room. This girl…

"I, Hyuuga Neji, would like to reinforce Yamanaka Ino's question and request to know exactly what does this mean for us now?"

When no member of the council spoke, Hiashi made his decision.

"Hyuuga Neji, you are now engaged." Everyone was holding his or her breath. "Yamanaka Ino, documents will be drawn up to officially name you surrogate mother to the couple."

Some people were shocked, others were satisfied, and the three youngest people in the room all had the same thing going through their heads.

'_Oh, shit….'_

**xXxXxXxXx**

After the whole ordeal, Ino was thankful to be able to relax in the flower shop. Fuu was right, this place was perfect whenever you needed a break. A break from life. A break from signing your life away to a ghost-praying clan. A break from helping an underground organization destroy Konoha from the inside out. To each his own.

When Ino heard the bell to the shop ring as the door opened, she didn't even look up from her magazine.

"Yamanaka," there goes that familiar voice.

"Hey….you" Ino barely looked at him.

"I trust your flower arranging skills are up to par, would you mind helping me fix a bouquet?" the Hyuuga asked her in an indifferent tone.

Ino looked at him fully as she stood and walked around to meet him by their wall full of flowers of every shape, color, and size.

"Number, type, colors." She spoke just as indifferently as he.

"12, cosmos, white, pink and….purple."

The girl took four of each color and arranged them in different ways until the boy was satisfied. Neji took this time to inform her that he and Tenten's wedding was set for three months from now. Ino then bound the flower arrangement together and walked back over to the cash register.

After he paid her the total, he asked for a pen to write out a personalized card.

"Let me know if she likes them," Ino wasn't upset or anything. She had just been through a lot that day and didn't feel like coming up with anything snazzy to say.

"Okay," the Hyuuga then held out the bouquet to her, "Do you like them?"

Time could have stopped for all Ino knew but she somehow pulled herself together and accepted the flowers. She smiled up at him, "Friends?"

Neji gave her a contemplative look before smiling and saying, "Only if you know what the word platonic means," and then he was gone.

Ino stared at the door for a while. She then turned her attention to the card and read it to herself, _'You're not as screwed up as you seem – Neji'_

The Yamanaka smiled at the hidden compliment and mumbled to herself, "I give you credit, Hyuuga. You aren't a beginner anymore."

**End Chapter 3**

**Okay, I guess I should tell you guys my inspiration for this situation. The Taiwanese drama **_**Fated to Love You **_**is about a guy who impregnates a random chick and he and his girlfriend decide to wait for the girl to have the baby so they can raise it themselves. It's a really good series, check it out.**


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